Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
40 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising an unloading assembly disposed at said unloading station for automatically removing the article from the at least one compressing and magnetizing assembly after a predetermined period of time in the latter assembly.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
95 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said transferring assembly comprises a bracket assembly, means pivotably mounting said bracket assembly, a plurality of finger members pivotally mounted on said bracket assembly and adapted to engage a predetermined surface of one side of the article on said support assembly adjacent said support assembly, and control means for automatically moving said bracket assembly so that said finger members ride on a predetermined surface of the article to transfer it in a predetermined position from said support assembly to a compressing and magnetizing assembly of said transferring station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
70 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said support assembly has a plurality of grooves and the apparatus further comprises a cleaning assembly mounted between the load and transferring stations and having a plurality of cleaning elements mounted for relative movement in said grooves, and means for reciprocably moving said cleaning elements and grooves longitudinally with respect to one another to remove excess material from selected walls of said grooves.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said grooves have a transverse dimension greater than the transverse dimension of said cleaning elements with said elements being formed of springlike material, and further comprising means for reciprocably moving said cleaning elements longitudinally back and forth, in said grooves in biased engagement with walls thereof to insure of excess material thereon.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the articles have magnetic laminations, and wherein the at least one compressing and magnetizing assembly comprises an electromagnet and switch means for controlling current flow to said electromagnet in said transferring station to create a magnetic field which attracts an article from said support assembly and assists in transferring the article to said compressing and magnetizing assembly.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus defined in claim 6 including control means for operating said switch means after a predetermined period of time to interrupt power flow through said at least one electromagnet to facilitate removal of the article from said compressing and magnetizing assembly.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
162 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said first conveyor means comprises a rotary indexing device having a pressurized fluid-distributing valve, means coupling said valve to a first, second and third pressure sources of fluid with said third pressure source of fluid being a source of coolant, each of said support assemblies having fluid-conducting channels, a conduit coupling said channels in each of said support assemblies to said valve, means in said valve for coupling each conduit in said material-applying station to said first pressure source for fluid masking from said material selected surfaces of an article on said support assembly, means in said valve for coupling to said second preSsure source each conduit during the movement of its associated support assembly between said material-applying station and said article-loading station, and means in said valve for selectively coupling each of said support assemblies to said third pressure source of fluid when the support assemblies are disposed in the material-applying station.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
136 words
An apparatus for automatically forming laminated articles of manufacture adherent protective coatings from heat-hardenable material on selected surfaces of a laminated article of manufacture comprising: a. an article support assembly for carrying an article; b. material-applying means for applying heat-hardenable material to surfaces of the article as it is carried by said article support assembly to form a coating on the selected surfaces; c. at least one electromagnet positioned adjacent the material-applying means for receiving the article from said support assembly; d. a transferring assembly mounted in the vicinity of the at least one electromagnet for automatically transferring the article from said support assembly into the at least one electromagnet; and e. control means for passing current through at least one electromagnet to create a magnetic field next to the article while it is received therein.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
86 words
The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein said transferring assembly comprises a bracket assembly, means pivotably mounting said bracket assembly, a plurality of finger members pivotably mounted on said bracket assembly and adapted to engage the surface of said support assembly and one side of the article thereon, and means for automatically moving said bracket assembly so that said finger members ride on the surface of said support assembly to engage one side of said article to transfer it from said support assembly to the electromagnet.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
145 words
An apparatus for automatically forming an adherent protective coating from heat-hardenable material on selected surfaces of a laminated article of manufacture comprising: a. at least one article supporting assembly adapted to support the article; b. means for carrying said at least one support assembly through a material-applying station and an article-transferring station; c. material-applying means disposed at said material-applying station for applying heat-hardenable material to the selected surfaces of the article in said material-applying station to form a coating on the selected surfaces; d. at least one article compressing and magnetizing assembly having means for receiving coated articles from said support assembly, and for mechanically and magnetically compressing the laminations of the articles; and e. a transferring assembly mounted at said transferring station for automatically transferring the coated article from the at least one support assembly into the at least one compressing and magnetizing assembly.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
72 words
The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said support assembly has a plurality of grooves, and a cleaning assembly is mounted beyond said transferring assembly remote from said article and magnetizing assembly, said cleaning assembly comprises a plurality of cleaning elements mounted for relative movement in said grooves, and means for reciprocably moving said cleaning elements and grooves relative to each other to remove excess material from selected walls of said grooves.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
107 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said transferring assembly comprises a bracket assembly, means pivotably mounting said bracket assembly, a plurality of finger members pivotably connected on the bracket assembly and adapted to engage a predetermined surface of one side of the article carried by said at least one support assembly, and control means for moving said bracket assembly toward and away from said at least one article compressing and magnetizing assembly so that said finger members engage a predetermined surface of the article to transfer it in a predetermined position from the at least one support assembly into the at least one compressing and magnetizing assembly.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 13 in which control means regulate the flow of electrical power through the at least one compressing and magnetizing assembly to create a magnetic field for assisting in maintaining the laminations under compression a predetermined period of time.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
131 words
An apparatus for automatically forming an adherent protective coating from heat-hardenable material on selected surfaces of a preheated laminated article of manufacture comprising: a. conveyor means for sequentially carrying at least one support assembly, adapted to carry the article, through a material-applying station and an article-transferring station; b. material-applying means positioned at said material-applying station for applying said material to selected surfaces of the article in said material-applying station to form a coating on said surfaces; c. at least one article compressing and magnetizing assembly for receiving articles sequentially from said support assembly and for magnetically compressing the laminations of the articles; and e. a transferring assembly at said transferring station for transferring the article from the at least one support assembly to the at least one compressing and magnetizing assembly.